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In which I realize I am unable to stop thinking about the TSA...

Every time I turn around, there are more informative articles about the backscatter machines that I want to post up here. So I apologize for the inundation, but it's caught hold of my imagination and I feel it would be irresponsible NOT to make this info as public as possible. So here goes:

I found this while doing my rounds online today; it is by Patrick Smith, a pilot who is highlighting the other group of people (besides Muslim women) who are exempt from security screening -- airport ground staff. Truly though-provoking:

At least the Freedom of Information Act is still working. Or how would we have been able to access all these scanner images? Good to know they were never saved, and could never be associated with the actual person being scanned:

Since I am honestly trying to learn what I can about this, I am checking a variety of news outlets, I promise! Here's one from The Washington Post -- though I quibble with the fact that only 3% of people choose to opt out for the gropedown -- whoops! "Patdown" -- because I am a frequent flyer and went through the backscatter because I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS. (And as for the argument that TSA agents don't enjoy the patdowns, thus they are not gropings? Nope. It's groping, whether they get sexual pleasure from it or not. Why? Because it MAKES THE GROPEE UNCOMFORTABLE):

And here is a common-sense solution (though one that still makes me uncomfortable, as it does not address the underlying concerns with the machines). In Europe they are also experimenting with scanners that show a "cartoon" body instead of an anatomically correct one: